As lawsuits loom, DuPont rejects calls to eliminate potentially dangerous chemical

By Brian Cole

Published on April 28, 2006

Numerous legal battles surround DuPont's production of PFOA. A $5 billion class-action lawsuit has been brought by users of nonstick cookware in 15 states. Two residents of Salem County, New Jersey also filed a class-action suit claiming DuPont's use of the chemical has contaminated groundwater in Carneys Point and Penns Grove, near a local plant.

That suit alleges that employees at the plant had "significantly higher incidences of allergic, endocrine, and metabolic disorders" than those who did not work around PFOA.

During a recent DuPont shareholders meeting, chairman Chad Holliday claimed the substance has not been shown to cause health problems in people.

Opponents of PFOA use said that DuPont's competitors are developing alternatives to the chemical.

Holliday said, "There is no way to eliminate PFOA and meet our customers' needs."

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